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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29891910">sleeping sickness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vox_nihilio/pseuds/vox_nihilio'>vox_nihilio</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Generator Rex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath of Violence, Episode: s01e18 Plague, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, One Shot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:29:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,854</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29891910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vox_nihilio/pseuds/vox_nihilio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Rex and Holiday alone with White Knight’s disregard for everything but results. And then Rex in the starring role of Atlas, as he always is. But never alone. Never the only person that White has to take his unrelenting ire out on. </p><p>He has to find Rex."</p><p> </p><p>Six taking care of Rex in the aftermath of the episode "Plague."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rebecca Holiday &amp; Agent Six, Rex Salazar &amp; Agent Six</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sleeping sickness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a slight AU from the ending of the episode. I felt that the effects of the situation would be a lot less cheery then depicted.</p><p>Generator Rex has a plethora of disturbing concepts. For some reason this one stuck out to me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Six wakes up and finds to part amusement and relief that his glasses are still on. His limbs ache, and yet he feels more rested then he has for years. Ignoring the fact that it took a literal plague to get him a good night’s sleep, Six gets up.</p><p>The other providence agents are stirring around him in the medical bay, the hallways, the labs, a few unlucky ones in the zoo. Six ignores them all and runs to the only place that matters in a catastrophe like this.</p><p>Dr. Holiday is a pile on the floor of her lab. Even in her sleep her face twitches, mouth curving downwards. There’s a datapad clenched in her hand, and Six’s eyes narrow when he sees a headset with electric stimuli next to her.</p><p>Of course she would. A part of him feels ashamed that he hadn’t done the same. Instead he had been useless when they needed him the most.</p><p>But he wasn’t useless now.</p><p>Six kneels down and gently pushes her shoulder. “Holiday.” Six says, voice even and calm. No use startling her. When she furrows into herself instead of waking, he raises his voice. “Rebecca.”</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>There is more than sleeping sickness in this fatigue. Holiday has probably been the sole bastion of a cure. The only two other people in the entire facility that wouldn’t have succumbed would be White Knight and Rex.</p><p>Rex and Holiday alone, with White Knight’s disregard for everything but results. And then Rex in the starring role of Atlas, as he always is. But never alone. Never the only person that White has to take his unrelenting ire out on.</p><p>He has to find Rex. But Holiday deserves better than the cold floor.</p><p>Six moves his hand from her shoulder to under her back, his other hand doing the same under her knees. Six lifts her with one smooth motion and carefully lays her on the cot usually reserved for Rex. In the process the datapad in Holiday’s hand clatters to the ground. He turns and picks it up- It probably has a clue on what the hell happened- When he hears a yawn and a quiet “Six?”</p><p>Six turns to find Holiday with her eyes barely open, an expression of pure relief on her face.</p><p>“It worked." She says. Holiday pillows her head on her arm. "Rex managed to find patient zero." She reaches out with her other hand and touches the wrist of his hand resting on the cot. She doesn't need to say it.</p><p>"I'm guessing Rex would be where patient zero was?" He says, back to business as always.</p><p>"No. People wouldn't wake up immediately." Holiday takes the hand from his wrist and presses it against her head, squeezing her eyes closed.<br/>
"There was a delay- but I- I don't know how long."</p><p>Before she has a chance to get back to her endless motion, he straightens from the cot. "It's ok, White will know."</p><p>Six touches the tips of his fingers to the arm her head is pillowed on. "Rest."</p><p>Holiday smiles but it's more of a grimace. "White ran us ragged, Six." She says quietly. "I doubt if Rex will even be coherent by this point."</p><p>Six nods and that's the only promise of Rex's safety she needs. Holiday falls asleep to the sound of Six putting her datapad back exactly where she likes it.</p><p>*</p><p>Six leaves the lab, turning the light off as he goes. He heads towards the mission room, dodging providence soldiers, medics, and techies in various states of awareness. He comms for White when he draws closer and immediately gets a response.</p><p>"It's about time you called in." White says, as welcoming as ever. "Where the hell were you?"</p><p>His voice sounds more strained than usual. White could barely work with Rex in a normal situation. This must have been like throwing a barrel of gasoline at an already burning house.</p><p>Six grimaces as he answers. "I was checking in on Holiday. Hoped<br/>
to find Rex there, but no luck."</p><p>White doesn't respond to the unspoken question, and Six slows to a halt. White isn't the type to do unexplained silences. If he has something to say, he does so.</p><p>"White?"</p><p>"Rex is here." White says, sounding genuinely confused. It's the first time Six has ever heard it coming from him. "By the vault door."</p><p>Six is in motion before the sentence is done. A minute of swerving through a waking Providence and he's there. In the blinding nothingness of the hallway and door to White's sanctum there is a splash of color. Rex looks like a puppet with his strings cut off, limbs askew with his head against his shoulder. There are bags beneath his eyes, and when Six crouches next to him he catches a waft of motor oil and body odor. Six expects the smell- he doesn't smell great either and all he had done was sleep- but what surprises him are the bruises littered around the kid’s skin like he’s a chessboard.</p><p>“His nanites should’ve taken care of these.” Six smoothes a thumb over a bruise on Rex’s forehead. The kid doesn't stir at all. “How long was he awake?"</p><p>"Since before the incident started." White says. "He was the only agent I had available Six, there wasn't any time for naps.”</p><p>Six looks at the white walls. There's no other reason Rex would be here first instead of checking on Holiday or Bobo. “But he wasn't, was he?"</p><p>"Don't say it like that Six." White grumbles into the comm. "Most of the time he was adequate. He didn't need my help until patient zero."</p><p>"How reassuring." Six says tersely. He goes to pick up Rex. Six briefly considers the fireman carry before holding him the same way he held Holiday. Flopping Rex over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes wouldn't be good for the bruises or for rest.</p><p>"I want him back in action tomorrow, we have a lot of recovery to do." White says as Six struggles a little under Rex's weight. It’s almost like the nanites in the kid’s blood are loathe to forget what they are, and never quite return from their metal forms.</p><p>"Three days, it takes more than a night to recover from this."</p><p>"One. You don't need to baby him, Six."</p><p>"Then stop treating him like a child and expecting an adult. Two days."</p><p>"Deal."</p><p>With that, White is out. Six walks out of the eerie hallway with a somewhat more stable hold on Rex. He’s grateful the alarms aren’t blaring- it seems like something White would do just to get everybody up.</p><p>As he walks to Rex’s room he spares a glance at his charge. Holiday wasn’t exaggerating at all. The kid was a heavy sleeper, but he often hummed or muttered in his sleep. (and screamed awake from nightmares. But he was far too proud to admit it, and Six knew he wasn’t ready for that conversation) Now he is completely dead to the world, save the rise and fall of his chest. His hair is too greasy to even support the goggles, instead they hang around his neck. One of the lenses are broken.</p><p>The hallways are more crowded now. Some Providence agents spare a glance at Rex. The newer ones flinch at his condition, the rest give Six a nod and give him space. The commotion must have been louder than Six thought because Rex stirs a little in his arms when the door to his room is in sight. His eyes open a little and blink at the harsh hallway lights.</p><p>“Six?” Rex says, voice hoarse. “What happened?”</p><p>Before Six responds, Rex seems to remember.</p><p>“Oh.” The kid smiles and his eyes close. “You’re all ok.”</p><p>“Hey, not yet.” Six says and opens the door to Rex’s room. He carefully sets Rex in a sitting position on his bed, the alcove curved over them. Rex nearly falls on his side before Six crouches and puts his hands on the kid’s slumped shoulders. “Rex, look at me.” Six says, making his voice slightly softer.</p><p>Rex does, even if it's with his head still far too low to constitute being anywhere near fully conscious.</p><p>“I need you to tell me if you have any other injuries your nanites didn’t fix.” Six says, careful to keep his tone soft. The last thing the kid needs are more orders, but internal bleeding doesn’t wait for anybody.</p><p>Rex’s eyes screw shut and his face tenses in the way that Six knows means he’s communicating with his nanites. Six always feels strange when he’s present for this. It’s almost like watching the body language of two friends in a discussion, but at the same time it's something he will never understand. It’s intensely private in a way few things in Rex’s life are.</p><p>Finally, Rex relaxes his face and shakes his head. Letting Rex slump forward onto his shoulder, Six maneuvers the jacket off of him, the goggles, then his shirt. Six decides against the pants- Rex may not remember these couple minutes, but his teenage embarrassment would kick in full gear if he woke up in his underwear.</p><p>Six lowers Rex’s upper body onto his bed, careful to land the kid’s head on the pillow. He’s struggling to get Rex’s socks and boots (seriously, what were these things <em>made of-</em>) when he hears Rex speak, his voice slurred from exhaustion. “Is Doctor Holiday ok?”</p><p>Six’s mouth quirks upwards. The kid is half asleep and he still cares. “She’s ok, I checked in on her earlier.”</p><p>“Right, of course you did.” Rex mumbles into his pillow.</p><p>Done with the feet, he gently throws the kid’s legs on to the bed and stands up. Six grabs one of the rumpled blanket off the floor <em>(teenagers</em>) and covers Rex up to his shoulders. Six turns of the lights and nearly steps out the door when he hears a quiet. "It was just me and her."</p><p>The kid wasn't as dead to the world as he thought. Six turns and leans against the doorframe. Rex's eyes are half open. He is staring at nothing.</p><p>"It was just me out there in the field. Everything was going wrong at the same time and I felt so <em>useless</em>."</p><p>"Rex." Six says "You can't be everywhere at once."</p><p>Rex closes his eyes.</p><p>"Just because you were the only one not affected doesn't mean the entire world was your responsibility."</p><p>"Of course it does." Rex whispers, every bit of exhaustion dragging at his words. Something unknown twists in Six. The kid opens his eyes like there are weights on his lashes. "It always does, it's always me."</p><p>Rex closes his eyes again. Six is strangely grateful.</p><p>"Good night Rex." Six says and pauses before he closes the door. "You're not doing this alone."</p><p>He stands there by the closed door for a minute. Rex has surprised him in a thousand different ways and just when he thinks the kid is done, he finds another one.</p><p>This one leaves a pit in his stomach.</p>
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